Pages

13 Apr 2012

IT'S FRIDAY THE 13TH.

Well, having arrived at Pen and Paper you'll either be disappointed/pleased/not bothered either way (delete as applicable) to discover that this is a post about Friday the 13th the day and not Friday the 13th the movie.Are you a Paraskevidekatriaphobics? A what? I hear you ask. A Paraskevidekatriaphobics ....... otherwise known as a personafflicted with a morbid, irrational fear of Friday the 13th. OR do you suffer from Friggatriskaidekaphobia, a fear of Friday the 13th?

If so you probably won't be too surprised to know that here in the UK the British Medical Journal published a study in 1993 which, over several years, compared the ratio of traffic volume to the number of automobile accidents on two different days, Friday the 6th and Friday the 13th.

Incredibly, they found that in the region sampled, while consistently fewer people chose to drive their cars on Friday the 13th, the number of hospital admissions due to vehicular accidents was significantly higher than on "normal" Fridays.

Their conclusion?

"Friday 13th is unlucky for some. The risk of hospital admission as a result of a transport accident may be increased by as much as 52 percent. Staying at home is recommended."

Not so much a post about a character based in folk lore as a post on a whole day seeped in folk lore, mythology and superstition. Yes, as if the heading wasn't clue enough, today's post is all about (cue scary music) ........

As accident prone as I am (see HERE if you don't believe me) thank goodness I'm not too worried by this date. Oh, don't get me wrong, I'm not without my superstitions (no walking under ladders or putting umbrellas up indoors and I always throw a pinch of spilt salt over my shoulder) but this just isn't one of them.

Where did our fear of the date come from though?

Well, way back when pussy was a kitten (one of my nana's expression meaning a long, long time ago) both the sixth day of the week (IE Friday) and the number 13 had formidable reputations - quite why I'm not too sure though it could be that innumerology the number twelve is considered the number of completeness whereas the number thirteen is irregular and therefore transgresses this completeness. Whilst a Friday, some suggest is an unlucky day because, believed by some to be the witches' Sabbath, it is sometimes regarded as the day in which, every week, twelve witches and the devil met - 13 evil spirits in total. OR is it as some Christians suggest unlucky because this was the day on which Christ was believed to have been crucified?

And then again ........

Some would say its origins go back even further, way back to a Norse myth which saw twelve gods having a feast in Valhalla (thehallofOdininto whichthesoulsofheroesslaininbattleandotherswhohavediedbravelyarereceived) when the mischievous Loki (A major Norse Deity, the son of a giant and giantess, he is connected with fire and magic and is said to be crafty, malicious, but also heroic) arrived as the 13th uninvited guest, arranging for Hod (blind God of darkness) to kill Balder (God of joy and gladness) with a mistletoe tipped arrow plunging Earth into darkness and mourning as a result.

Either way Friday the 13th has long been considered a day of ill omen, oh and just to worry you more there are not just one, not just two BUT three Friday the 13th's this year - one of which occurred in January, today, and the last one, in July. AND scarier still ....... did you know the last Friday the 13th was 13 weeks ago and the next is in 13 weeks? Still, at least those of you born on Friday the 13th can relax as today is said to be your lucky day.

Anyway, this being (in part) a book blog I thought I'd conclude with the following .........

The fact that the earliest documented reference to Friday the 13th in English occurs in Henry Sutherland Edwards' 1869 biography of Gioachino Rossini.

THIS 'NOVEL' QUIZwhich tests your knowledge of the fiendish in fiction. (I didn't do very well, scoring only 6 out of, well, what else but 13).

11 comments:

Don't know where you got the crucifixion reference from but glad to inform you that it's complete nonsense. The christian reference point for Friday 13th was the arrests, torture and execution of The Knights Templar on the order of King Phillip of France.

Thanks for this interesting post! I myself am not spooked by the number 13 since my daughter was born on the 13th. But I always found it odd that there is never a 13th floor in buildings. The elevator always goes from 12 to 14

Fabulous, timely (duh!) post! Is 13 one of those "trick numbers" like 9? Probably not, but I've always felt that Friday the 13th was a lucky day for me (though not my birthday), although I don't want to jinx it now by mentioning it--oops!

I almost wrote a post on Friday the 13th this week, too! I've heard about witches being linked to Fridays but I'm not too superstitious (I knock on wood sometimes). In fact, yesterday (Fri 13th) turned out to be an excellent day for me. :)

Friday was my husband's birthday - and he is superstition. I think he actually briefly considered staying home and in bed rather than going to work. He always refers to the one year when he was younger and his birthday was on a Firda. He got his hand shut in a car door and I think broke a couple fingers.

TRANSLATE

LITTLE KITTY THE CAT BURGLAR {CHAPTER 1 WRITTEN BY YOURS TRULY}

THE MEMBER OF A VERY SPECIAL TRIBE.

A Geordie lass, rumoured to have been born with a paperback in my hand, I spend my days reading and reviewing books here on Pen and Paper. A lover of hedgehogs as well as cats, I also enjoy writing and receiving letters and am quite the movie buff. My taste in films almost as eclectic as my tastes in novels!

FOLLOW PEN AND PAPER ON GOOGLE FRIEND CONNECT

FOLLOW PEN AND PAPER ON GOOGLE+

ADOPTED 26TH APRIL 2014.

A GEORDIE LASS AN' PROUD OF IT.

As Douglas Adams almost said, ‘Far away in the uncharted backwaters of the once unfashionable North-East of England lies an often-unregarded civilisation. Orbiting this at a distance of a few hundred miles is the rest of the British Isles. The life forms inhabiting this area are often thought of as primitive as they still think wearing warm clothing is a pretty sissy thing to do.’

TIS TRUE, I ONLY HAVE A KITCHEN BECAUSE IT CAME WITH THE HOUSE.

THE READING LOG OF YOURS TRULY .....

CURRENTLY READING ... Zelda's Cut by Philippa Gregory

LAST READ ...Carved In Bone by Jefferson Bass

NEXT ... Ginger Kid by Steve Hofstetter

TOTAL NUMBER OF BOOKS READ & REVIEWED ... 974*

TOTAL NUMBER OF PAGES READ AND REVIEWED ... 271,441

NUMBER OF BOOKS READ & REVIEWED ON BEHALF OF THE AUTHOR/PUBLISHER ... 13**

* These totals are a record ALL books read from the onset of Pen and Paper in April 2009 including those received from authors/publishers both pre and post January 2018 to the present day.

** This total is a record of all books read and reviewed on behalf of the author/publisher SINCE January 2018 to the present day. TT